Towards Reconciliation

Connecting Scripture to Chadian Life

On February 16, 2016

How many times have you been in a conversation with an unbeliever and you really want to turn them to God without making it awkward? In western society, talking about God and religion is almost taboo, but in Chad, God is a part of everyday conversations. (“How is your family?” “Praise God, we are all fine.”; “How are you today?” “Walking towards God.”) How is it that I still have a difficult time turning the conversation to Scripture?

The questions I am asked from women include topics such as children, marriage, health, food, and life in America. Oftentimes, we compare and contrast our culture with each other and they ask me what I think about how they do things. (“What do you think about the husbands leaving for months or years at a time?” “Do you think it is good for a man to have four wives?”) This gives me a chance to expose them to truths about God (He cares for them and knows everything about them; God created one man and one woman in the garden, not 4 wives for Adam; God wants to change our hearts, not just our outward behavior). However, oftentimes I get little response, or at most, the women agree but don’t ask for more information. My friends are so distracted by just surviving each day, it is often hard for them to think on a deeper, spiritual level (much like us many times?!).

I need wisdom to know how to insert truths and stories from Scripture into conversations with my friends and neighbors in a way that resonates with them. (What if I shared the prophecies of Hosea and the picture of Israel as an adulterous wife and God as the faithful husband who continually pursues her? Would that help them to understand the extent of God’s forgiving, merciful heart in a way they have never been taught in Islam?) I want to understand their struggles with sin and be so filled with God’s word that I can immediately connect them with Scripture that will penetrate their heart and be the beginning of real change in their lives. Pray with me as I search and study Scripture to find passages and stories that will speak to the women I am building relationships with.

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of heart.” Hebrews 4:12

Kid’s Corner

By kimberly

On February 13, 2016

In Kid's Corner

Isaac out on a visit: Mom, I think we should tell these friends about Jesus.

Me: Ok, Isaac, what should we tell them?

Isaac: Tell them that there is only one true God and they should not be praying to a false God. Tell them that Jesus is the most powerful one of all.

Me Thinking: I am sure at 4 1/2 years old, that was not on my mind.

Kid’s Corner

By kimberly

On February 10, 2016

In Kid's Corner

Isaac having a blast with our neighbors.

Playing soccer at our house.

By josh

On January 28, 2016

In Books, Family

Being faced with our weakness is one of God’s goals for marriage. This comprehensive, lifelong relationship is a tool in the hands of God to expose our delusions of wisdom, righteousness, and strength and to mobilize us to seek help. And there is help, wonderful and sufficient help, for all who seek it.

“What Did You Expect?: Redeeming the Realities of Marriage” by Paul David Tripp –
http://amzn.to/1nRKJBE

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Learning About Culture

By kimberly

On January 23, 2016

In Chad, Culture

Taking Calla Grace on visits has afforded many opportunities to learn more about Chadian culture! Yesterday, I took her to visit a new friend and the hostess gave me perfume to put on myself and Calla Grace. I also have learned that Chadians will never mention that she is big or heavy (even though she is 2 1/2 months old and weighing in at around 15 lbs now).

My friends think it could cause the baby to get sick if someone says it because they are afraid of an “evil eye.” (This is a good example of syncretism – an animistic belief that is deeply ingrained in many African cultures, despite the “foreign” religion of Islam that has now taken prominence in their lives.) I have learned that you should not nurse in front of a lot of people you don’t know (not for modesty’s sake, but again, because of the fear of the evil eye that could make you or your baby sick).

Calla Grace had a strange, painless bump appear on her arm a few weeks ago and our doctor friend from the States didn’t know what it was. I was visiting a few days ago and noticed two other babies similar in age to Calla Grace also had the same bump on their arm. It was then that I remembered it as the same location she received her Tuberculosis vaccine (a vaccine that is no longer given in the States, but one that everyone here still receives). I asked around and everyone showed me their small scar on their arm from the vaccine. She didn’t even cry when she got it, but now she has physical proof that she was born in Chad (other than the birth abroad certificate that Josh just picked up from the U.S. Embassy a few days ago!).

By josh

On January 13, 2016

In Books, Ministry

However, the Islamic doctrine of monotheism (tawhid) protects God’s otherness at the high cost of sacrificing the relational aspect of God’s nature. Allah does not enter into relationship with Muslims. The very word Islam means “to submit” to the will of Allah. A Muslim is called to obey Allah, not to know Him. The well-known Iranian theologian of Islam, Al-Ghazali summed it up well when he said, “Allah does not reveal Himself, He only reveals His will.

From “Invitation to World Missions: A Trinitarian Missiology for the Twenty-first Century (Invitation to Theological Studies Series)” by Dr Timothy Tennent

Start reading this book for free: http://amzn.to/1N6uTYi

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How Can We Pray for E. Chad?

By kimberly

On January 6, 2016

In Chad, Ministry, Prayer

I have been blessed with many cultural opportunities these past few weeks – from being kicked out of a home, dealing with a difficult discipleship issue with a lady in the church, visiting a village and observing a woman crawling on her hands and knees out of respect as she past a group of men (no joke!), and observing a heated conversation between a group of Muslim women and our believing male friend about faith. These and other experiences have taught me how to better pray for God’s work here, and I think they are worth passing along to you who want to know how to pray for our ministry:

Prayers of repentance for assuming pridefully that people will come to faith because of us (our skills, abilities, past experience, language ability, etc.).
Acknowledge that God alone has the power to redeem these people – He created them in His power and it is He who made a way for their salvation.
Ask God what it will look like for His Kingdom to come to eastern Chad- physically, emotionally, culturally, spiritually – what things will change and be reformed when people begin to follow Jesus and the Holy Spirit is doing His work of conviction and encouragement.
Pray for God to convict people (especially of men) of their pride (in their good works or in their cultural heritage). When people encounter the True God of Scripture, may they be brought to their knees in recognition of how filthy their good deeds are and how unworthy they are apart from a Savior.
Ask God for wisdom for us (the workers) and words to speak directly into the reality of the lives of those we are living amongst. What Scriptures will pierce their hearts?
Pray for acceptance and favor as we walk into homes and lives of our neighbors and eventually villages. Coming in the name of Jesus sparks much skepticism here. Pray that those who welcome us into their families and communities will recognize the peace, joy, love, and other fruits of the Spirit in our lives (and not confuse those things with our material blessings that we inevitably enjoy from being white).
Pray for unity amongst the teams who are here -specifically our team and the other 4-adult team (from another organization) as well as on translator working with our chosen people group.
Pray for us as we begin to brainstorm how to best enter villages/homes with the gospel (practical ministry ideas and how to bless the people’s physical needs).

Kid’s Corner

By kimberly

On December 31, 2015

In Kid's Corner

On our drive to Abeche, we had LOTS of luggage piled high on our vehicle. We prayed at the beginning of the trip for God to keep us and our thing safe. Isaac (4 1/2) asked if that meant God was going to come down, put his arms around the things on top of our car, and make sure they don’t fall off. It was such a literal interpretation of what we were praying for, but we are thankful to share with you that despite one scary moment where I (mom) thought we would topple over sideways when pulling off the side of the road, God did keep us and all our belongings safe!

Life Without Hope

By kimberly

On December 29, 2015

In Chad, Ministry, Prayer

We are back home in our town and excited to continue in language learning so we can deepen relationships here as well as make new friends. I was visiting with one friend yesterday who has been severely wronged, but who has also made sinful choices and is seeing some immediate consequences of those choices. It is painful to walk alongside someone who has no frame of reference for the kind of forgiveness that God in Christ offers us or for the kind of forgiveness He expects us to have for others. How do I talk to someone about Jesus teaching to forgive 70×7 when they have yet to accept God’s forgiveness for their own sins? I have a renewed sense of sadness for my friends here who are living in hopeless situations apart from God. How do they even want to continue? I am burdened even more to pray that the truths that we share would take root in the hearts of our friends here and transform their lives, families, and communities. Will you pray with me in this new year that we would be purposeful to speak of truth, hope, and forgiveness to our friends here and that many would believe and turn from their sins?

Showing Hospitality in Chad

By kimberly

On December 7, 2015

In Chad, Culture, Ministry

Christmastime is a time where we tend to practice hospitality maybe more than other times of the year, so I have been thinking about this a little more the past few days. Josh and I recognize this as one of the gifts God has given us that we both share, and it is fun for us to have the opportunity to practice this gift together. Especially in Chad, we have many opportunities to host people in our home and show hospitality – both to Chadians and fellow workers from the West.

I was remembering with thanksgiving the ways that God has allowed us to use our home to show hospitality to others this past year. Abeche is a town many people travel through, but there are not many places for people to stop for the night if needed.

Before we ever moved into our home, a Chadian believer was occasionally sleeping in our compound on his way to and from other towns. Then, the week before we moved, we hosted a volunteer team from America who slept at our house (we were still living at the Orphanage guest housing in our town).

Since living in our home, we have hosted a Chadian family overnight for several days; fed lunch to countless men who worked to make our house a home; hosted a western NGO worker for a water drilling organization several different times overnight; hosted a man who lived here for 10 years working on Bible translation but who currently works from the States; hosted another Bible translator and church planter who lives a few hours from us; turned a spare room on our compound into a “studio apartment” for our nanny and teammate, Danielle; hosted the Blackfords who came on a vision trip and then decided to join our team; hosted two men, Ben and Matt, from our home church; and this coming week while we are still in N’Djamena, a new team in country will be staying at our house for several days while they make plans to move to Abeche in the near future.

In addition to providing a roof, a mattress, and at least a meal or two to all of these people, we were also able to use our spare room as a language learning space for another worker in our town.

I am excited that we are able to use the home God provided us to bless many other people as they go about the His work in our area. I pray this continues, and I am certain it will. We already have two or three groups from America scheduled to come out next year – all these will be for the purpose of mobilizing the church in America to missions in Chad.

Do you have the gift of hospitality? Do you find you can use it more during a certain season of the year? How do you hope to show hospitality this coming year in a way that furthers God’s kingdom? I’d love to hear how you practice hospitality in your own home!